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Everton fans gave David Moyes a warm welcome with scarves, banners, and cheers ahead of kick-off against Aston Villa at Goodison Park on Thursday night.
Moyes briefly wandered on to the pitch in the moments before the game to wave to fans and looked emotional as he sealed his return to the club he left in 2013.
Everton appointed Moyes on Saturday for his second spell in charge just two days after sacking Sean Dyche with the club 16th in the Premier League table.
He left the Toffees in 2013 to take up a seven-year deal at Manchester United but lasted just 10 months there and has admitted he has long yearned of a return to Goodison Park.
Scarves dedicated to the Scot were being sold outside the stadium ahead of kick-off. His face was also shown on a large screen before the game. This is is 519th match in charge of the club.
His re-appointment has received a mixed reception, with the nostalgia of his comeback clashing with others who want to see the club go in a different direction.
David Moyes waved to fans as he made is Everton comeback almost 12 years after leaving
Supporters gave him a warm, if slightly quiet, reception as he strode out ahead of kick-off
An image of his face was shown on a large screen as he prepared for his 519th game in charge
But, armed with a contract until 2027, Moyes’ aim is to drag the side away from consistently battling relegation and to become contenders higher up the table again.
He consistently led Everton to European finishes during his first stint between 2002 and 2013, as well as the 2009 FA Cup final.
‘I’ve had other opportunities to consider other jobs, quite a few since I’ve left West Ham,’ he said. ‘But I always felt that if this job came up – and I didn’t expect the job to come up, I really didn’t – it was just too big an opportunity to turn down.
‘The club now needs steering in the right direction, putting in a place where you’re not fighting at the bottom all the time. I told the players, “I’m not coming here to manage a team at the bottom of the league. I’m going to manage a team that’s going to be fighting and challenging”.
‘Part of it is, “You players had better turn up”. I’ve got no doubt the crowd, the people, Goodison, will all play a part. The players have to play their part now and they have to show they can handle it.
‘I’d had a message asking me to come to a game before the end of the season with my dad. I thought it would be brilliant to get back to Goodison before (the stadium move).
‘You have to remember my family was so embedded in Everton. My kids were young, my dad was drinking with all the boys in the street! Leaving was terrible because we were really close after 11 years.
‘Now I’ve got the chance to manage here again. I’ve just got to make sure that when we walk out of Goodison and lock the door for the final time, we can all walk down to the new stadium in the right position.’
Moyes and Everton have been through a lot since he first bade farewell in 2013
This is not the stable club that Moyes knew when he left. Since his departure, they have chewed up and spat out Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez, Frank Lampard, and Dyche as well as various caretaker bosses.
But they are marching into a new era as the Friedkin Group’s takeover of the club was finalised in December, ending Farhad Moshiri’s troubled reign.
And it feels fitting that a man who brought such joy to Goodison Park in his first reign is poised to lead them out of it, with the Toffees playing their final season before moving to their new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock.
